Francis Family Foundation

“The Francis Family Foundation is very interested in how to maximize each child’s

development before school begins, as this appears to be a critical time and has

direct links to the serious dropout problem.”

– John B. Francis

Early Education System

Quality. The Foundation has invested in the Quality Rating System (QRS) Pilot Project conducted by the Metropolitan Council on Early Learning since 2004. The QRS project supplies technical assistance and support for early learning programs so higher quality services for children and families can be provided. www.marc.org/mcel
Professional Development. In 1989, Penn Valley Community College, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and the Francis Family Foundation created the Francis Resource Center to provide community-based training services for child care providers. The Resource Center is such a success that other innovative early education training components were added. Today, the Francis Institute for Child & Youth Development is housed in a state-of-the-art, 36,000-square-foot facility on the Penn Valley campus. It serves more than 4,000 people a year, including child care providers, students, families and children. It offers college-credit classes that lead to vocational degrees and credentials, customized on-site training for child care providers, and a child development center that serves as a lab school. http://francis.mcckc.edu
Public Advocacy.Currently only a patchwork of funding pays for early education and child care, leaving families to shoulder most of the burden. Public investments in early education are needed to support quality, accessible, affordable programs that meet community needs. The Metropolitan Council on Early Learning and Kansas Action for Children make sure civic leaders and government decision makers do not forget about constituents too young to vote.

Parents Support School Readiness

Children are born ready to learn. During the first three years of life, trillions of connections are being made between brain cells. According to Zero to Three, “A child’s relationships and experiences during the early years greatly influence how their brain grows.” The Foundation is invested in the Healthy Steps program. Through a unique partnership with Blue Cross & Blue Shield, the Foundation supports collaboration among area hospitals and clinics, and the Parents as Teachers program. www.healthysteps.org
The Foundation is also invested in Reach Out and Read-Kansas City, a unique partnership with pediatric doctors and nurses. ROR-KC makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric care so that children grow up with books and a love of reading. www.reachoutandreadkc.org

Urban Education Reform (proactive investment)

In recent years, the Francis Family Foundation explored promising community-partnership opportunities to support the Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, school districts. As a result, the Board approved a large four-year grant to PREP-KC, Kansas City Partnership for Regional Educational Preparation. Although this effort targets children older than the birth-to-age-five focus under Lifelong Learning, the Board recognized that investments in quality early education will be multiplied if children enter a quality K-12 school environment. www.prepkc.org

Archives – Lifelong Learning Grants

Spring 2011

Spring 2010